1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically generating software for use in SECS (Semiconductor Equipment Communications Standard) communications, and more particularly, to a system and method for automatically generating software such that coding of a source program for use in controlling equipments is automatically performed through the selection of data corresponding to SECS messages defining operations of the equipments involved in a semiconductor processing system for use in the SECS message communications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a semiconductor processing system is linked to a host by way of equipment servers (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cEQSxe2x80x9d) that supervise a group of equipments involved in a process.
Each of the equipments reports to the host the progressing status and results of each process. The host performs functions such as supervising and managing a series of semiconductor fabricating processes based on the report. Semiconductor fabricating equipments are generally classified into preprocessing equipments, assembly equipments, test and inspection equipments, other related equipments, etc. Since the semiconductor fabricating process is such a complex and diverse process that includes more than 500 steps, there are a variety of equipments involved therein.
Therefore, it is difficult to effectively manage the whole semiconductor fabricating process. To cope with the difficulty, most semiconductor fabricating equipments are managed by using a protocol for use in controlling them. The widely used protocol is a SECS protocol. That is, the SECS protocol is a communication protocol for supporting communication between equipments specifically designed for the semiconductor fabricating processes. The SECS protocol is a protocol or standard established by SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Material International) in order to efficiently achieve the communications between the semiconductor fabricating equipments.
The SECS is broken down into three layers: a GEM layer (GEM (Generic Equipment Model) and Application layer) for managing the semiconductor fabricating processes; a message generating layer (SECS-II layer) for reporting the progressing status and results of each process; and a message transmitting/receiving layer (SECS-I layer) for transmitting and receiving the generated message.
The SECS-I and SCS-II define communication interface standards between the semiconductor fabricating equipments and the host. The standards describe details for physical connection, signal size, data rate, protocol logic, and the like, which are required for message (information) exchange between the equipments and the host. The information exchange is made through a serial point-to-point line.
All the messages transferred based on the SECS protocol obey one or more message transfer standards, and each of the message transfer standards is processed as one transaction. Combinations of those transactions control and manage the semiconductor fabricating processes.
An operator of the semiconductor fabricating processes analyzes the feature of the equipments by using the SECS communication software and the processing procedures of the semiconductor fabricating processes executed by the equipments, prior to putting the SECS communication software into running.
Then, the operator prepares a scenario of the semiconductor fabricating processes based on the analysis results, wherein the scenario is mainly represented by flow of messages to be transferred between the host and the equipments. Such flow of messages constitutes the semiconductor fabricating processes.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a plurality of SECS messages transferred between the equipment and the server (EQS) in the SECS communications.
As shown in FIG. 1, the equipment transfers a SECS message of xe2x80x9cS1 F13xe2x80x9d representing communication establishment to EQS in order to start the semiconductor fabricating process. The EQS transfers an acknowledgment message of xe2x80x9cS1 F14xe2x80x9d to the equipment in order to respond to the message from the equipment. The equipment transfers a SECS message of xe2x80x9cS1 F1xe2x80x9d to the EQS, which is a query inquiring whether the equipment exists, and then, receives an acknowledgment message of xe2x80x9cS1 F2xe2x80x9d from the EQS. Subsequently, the equipment transfers a SECS message of xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d representing a mode change into the process control mode to the EQS, and receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d from the EQS. The operator for the equipment puts a product on the work table prior to starting the semiconductor fabricating process (Product Loading).
After the product loading, the operator for the equipment transfers a SECS message of xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d representing a loading completion to the EQS. The EQS transfers an acknowledgment message of xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d and a SECS message of xe2x80x9cS2 F41xe2x80x9d representing the instructions xe2x80x9cstart commissionxe2x80x9d to the EQS.
The equipment transfers an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS2 F42xe2x80x9d in response to the message xe2x80x9cS2 F41xe2x80x9d to the EQS, and transfers a SECS message xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d representing the process start to the EQS, and then receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d in response to the message xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d from the EQS. The operator of the equipment starts the fabricating process. When the fabricating process end, the operator for the equipment transfers a message of xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d representing an end of the process to the EQS, and then receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d from the EQS. The equipment transfers a message xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d of xe2x80x9cMove Out Requestxe2x80x9d representing the product unloading from the work table to the EQS. The equipment receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d from the EQS, and unloads the process-finished product from the worktable (Unload a Cassette).
The equipment transfers a message xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d of xe2x80x9cMove Out Completexe2x80x9d representing the completion of the product unloading to the EQS, and receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d for the message of xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d from the EQS. The equipment transfers a message xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d representing the preparation of the next process to the EQS, and receives an acknowledgment message xe2x80x9cS6 F12xe2x80x9d from the EQS. With this, the series of the semiconductor fabricating process is finished.
Referring to the FIG. 1, it is found that the SECS messages of xe2x80x9cS6, F11xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cS6, F12xe2x80x9d are used several times. That is, a SECS message is composed of a pair of one query SECS message and one response SECS message.
The query and response process between the EQS and the equipment may be described as follow: for example, when the SECS message of xe2x80x9cS6, F11xe2x80x9d is transmitted from the equipment to the EQS, an operator of the EQS should check data values contained in the received SECS message of xe2x80x9cS6, F11xe2x80x9d to analyze what the data values mean.
Further, the operator should generate a response message and a control message corresponding thereto, and then, must perform a manual coding of a source program for implementing the generated response and control messages and send it to the equipment.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a SECS message transferred between the equipment and the server (EQS) in the SECS communications.
As shown in FIG. 2, each SECS message presents a unique expression thereof such as xe2x80x9cS6, F11xe2x80x9d, a combination of one of stream numbers (S1 to S128) and one of function numbers (F1 to F128).
In FIG. 2, it may be easily understood that the SECS message of xe2x80x9cS6, F11xe2x80x9d is used for host command confirmation (HCA) b the Function name of which because the transfer direction is from the equipment to the EQS, and it is necessary for the EQS to respond to the message toward the equipment. Further, the item of the SECS data included in xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d message is xe2x80x9cL, 3xe2x80x9d (210). That is, xe2x80x9cL, 3(210)xe2x80x9d means three data lines, the first line contains  less than DATAID greater than  (220) representing a series of data ID, the second line contains  less than CEID greater than  (230) representing xe2x80x9ccollect event IDxe2x80x9d, and the third line contains xe2x80x9cL,2xe2x80x9d (240) composed of two lines. The first line of xe2x80x9cL,2xe2x80x9d (240) contains  less than RPTID greater than  representing xe2x80x9creport IDxe2x80x9d, and the second line of L, 2 is composed of another three lines L, 3 (260) which contain  less than PORT greater than  (270) representing xe2x80x9cport numberxe2x80x9d,  less than LOTID greater than  (280) representing xe2x80x9clot or product IDxe2x80x9d, and  less than PPID greater than  (290) representing xe2x80x9cprocess program IDxe2x80x9d.
The operator of the EQS analyzes the characteristics of the equipment and process flow of the semiconductor fabricating process implemented by the equipment. In addition, the operator for the equipment generates a scenario of the semiconductor fabricating process based on the analysis result, and should conduct coding of data of the SECS messages used in SECS communication as shown in FIG. 2.
Generally, full automation of an individual equipment is achievable when it involves 20xcx9c30 or 50xcx9c60 at most SECS messages. Each SECS message is previously defined so that they are transmitted to the equipment or server at a predetermined time.
If a single SECS message is used for a single specific condition, there would be no difficulty in controlling the equipment. Under certain conditions, however, a single SECS message may be used in more than one condition as xe2x80x9cS6 F11xe2x80x9d shown in FIG. 1, and further, the status of the respective equipment is defined by the data values contained in the message, which may arise problems.
Therefore, since the operator should spend a lot of time in analyzing all of several tens SECS messages transferred between the equipment and the EQS and in coding the source program, there is a problem in that work efficiency is severely lowered.
Moreover, the semiconductor fabricating equipments are relatively expensive. In operating such expensive semiconductor fabricating equipments, if an EQS is made and then directly applied to the equipments without any prior test of the EQS, this is most undesirable in view of use of the equipments and as well is a factor in reduction of productivity thereof.
Furthermore, the conventional SECS communication software mentioned above bears a drawback that it is equipment-specific or equipment-dependent; that is, it should be reorganized according to each feature of the semiconductor fabricating equipments whenever used to perform operation and management for each fabricating process. Thus, the SECS communication software could not have a consistent structure.
As a result, since the SECS communication software should be adapted to various fabricating equipments, which entails a variety of problems such as duplicated investment, lowering of reliability due to repeated tests, difficulty in maintenance, and the like.
The present invention is contemplated to solve the aforementioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for automatically generating SECS message source by assigning specific variant number and sequence name according to data of the SECS message capable of determining operations of the equipments in the SECS message communications for a semiconductor fabricating or processing system, and such that coding of a source program for use in controlling equipments may be automatically performed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for automatically generating SECS message source by providing SECS message definition, communication logging file and logging file of the equipment server on the basis of the extensible Markup Language (XML) in Internet circumstances, such that capable of checking, analyzing, controlling and modifying SECS message communication between semiconductor fabricating systems at remote place.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically generating SECS message source in an environment including a plurality of equipments performing a semiconductor fabricating process, and a plurality of equipment servers for automatically performing coding of a program source corresponding to the SECS message communicated with the equipment depending on the features of the equipment and the fabricating process, comprising the steps of (a) defining a SECS message for use in control of the semiconductor fabricating process; (b) defining data on features of said each equipment; (c) defining a sequence name identifying the semiconductor fabricating process, (d) combining SECS messages required for the defined sequence name; (e) defining equipment groups according to the features of the equipment by combining SECS messages with the defined sequence name; (f) generating SECS message by automatically performing coding of each SECS message source for the defined equipment group respectively.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for automatically generating SECS (Semiconductor Equipment Communications Standard) message source comprising a plurality of equipment performing semiconductor fabricating process; a MES for performing management of progresses and histories of lots, and resources on a manufacturing site; a database for storing the defined SECS messages and the data inputted from the equipment; and, a equipment server system including a SECS message defining unit for defining SECS messages for use in control of semiconductor fabricating processes, an equipment feature defining unit for defining data on features of equipment, an equipment group defining unit for defining sequence names involved in the semiconductor fabricating processes and defining equipment groups by combining SECS messages required for the defined sequence names, a communication interface defining unit for defining an interface for communications with the equipment, a SECS message source generating unit for automatically performing coding of a SECS message source for each defined equipment group, a test simulation unit for testing the defined SECS messages and equipment by means of simulation, a network interface card for establishing a physical connection for the communications with the other systems, and a control unit for supervising overall control operations of the server system and controlling automatic generation of the SECS message source.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet system for fabricating semiconductor comprising Internet network for use in transmitting and receiving data between computers distributed at remote place; at least one equipment for performing semiconductor fabricating process; at least one equipment server for communicating the SECS message with the equipments connected thereto; and a host computer connected to the Internet for automatically generating SECS messages and communication logging files used for SECS message communication between the equipments and the equipment servers(EQS) in the form of extensible Markup Language (XML), and for controlling SECS message communication between the equipments and the equipment servers (EQS).